Article: Holidays: the best time to think about your occupational health (and your feet)
Holidays: the best time to think about your occupational health (and your feet)
Holidays have something the rest of the year doesn't allow: time.
Time to rest, to disconnect and, above all, to listen to your body.
For months we accumulate intense shifts, rushing and routines that leave little space to ask ourselves how we're really doing. Those who work in healthcare know this well. Long shifts, many hours on your feet, kilometres covered along corridors and constant physical demands mean that many aches and pains end up feeling normal.
The holidays arrive, the pace changes and suddenly your body starts talking. Maybe you notice that constant pressure in your feet is gone. That your legs feel lighter. That you can walk for hours without thinking about tomorrow's shift. Or, on the contrary, you realise that certain discomforts have been with you for far too long.
And then an important question arises: does it really have to be like this when I go back to work?
What we normalise throughout the year
Many healthcare professionals assume that finishing a shift with tired feet or heavy legs is part of the job. However, there's a big difference between demanding work and resigning yourself to the fact that foot pain is inevitable.
Holidays offer something valuable: perspective. The distance helps identify discomforts that go unnoticed the rest of the year because we've normalised them.
Occupational health and healthcare footwear: a relationship we often ignore
When we think about occupational health we tend to imagine ergonomic chairs, active breaks or risk prevention training. All of that matters, but there's another element that accompanies healthcare professionals throughout their entire shift: footwear.
Feet absorb the impact of thousands of steps every day — every movement, every change of direction, every hour standing beside a patient. Studies in hospital environments estimate that a nurse walks between 10 and 16 kilometres per shift.
Choosing the right footwear for healthcare workers isn't just about seeking comfort — it's about investing in a work tool that supports the foot's natural movement and reduces accumulated fatigue throughout the shift.
September: the best time to change your footwear
Just as many people use September to go back to the gym or reorganise their habits, it can also be a good time to review what we use every day for work.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Does my footwear allow me to move freely throughout my entire shift?
- Is it lightweight, flexible and comfortable after eight hours on my feet?
- Do I wear it because it genuinely works for me, or simply because I've always worn the same type of clog?
Simple questions that we rarely ask ourselves.
Small changes that make a big difference
Improving occupational health doesn't always mean major transformations. It often starts with small habits we repeat every day: staying hydrated, taking care of our posture or choosing footwear designed to support movement during long shifts.
At NIBO we believe healthcare professionals deserve more than the same old clogs. That's why we designed something different:
- Wide toe box — toes have room to work
- Flexible sole — moves with your foot, not against it
- Zero drop — correct alignment throughout the entire kinetic chain
- Lightweight and washable materials — because in a hospital, anything can happen
- Two insoles included — anatomical and barefoot, so you choose how to start
Your commitment to your own wellbeing can start now. Because taking care of others begins with taking care of the person who walks the hospital corridors every day.
